Sew what!

Allow me to present yet another use for the good ol' Branflakes box.



1: Cut out the front and back of the box

2: Draw a picture on the side with all the print.





3: Poke holes along the lines of your picture using a pointy screw (or a pen)



4: Find a few old shoe laces or wrap some tape around the end of a piece of yarn and turn it over to your kids to do the sewing.





Hint** If you can get them to pretend like it's their new job and give them an 'office' to work in, they'll take this sewing bit very seriously. \

Allow them to come up with their own ideas of shapes to sew. Let them draw it out, and (with your help) poke some holes around the picture. They'll be so proud.

'Spidies'

Here's one for all of those 'not really crafty' moms, (like myself), who prefer crafts that are quick, easy, require very few supplies, and have the lowest possible mess making potential....

A spider hat!



And here's how it's done:

Cut out two thick strips of black paper to fit around your child's head and tape them together.

Cut out 8 thin strips of black construction paper and fold each strip in half. Tape the ends of the strips to the inside of the head band (to be the legs). Add eyes and..... DONE!

Turn on some funky music and have your child jump up and down to make the spider's legs dance.

And by the way...if you've been on the search for some great dance music, allow me to share my newly acquired pearls of wisdom on this subject.
Here it is in 3 words: Shark Tale Soundtrack.



Visit a library near you!

Pen Pals

Have your child choose someone (adult or child) who lives far away. They may choose a friend, relative, or even an acquaintance they don't know much about.

Help them write a letter to this person asking if they would like to be their pen pal! They'll love practicing their writing when they know they'll be getting something in return in the near future. Have them share information about his/herself, and ask questions to get to know their pen pal a little bit better. Allow your child to address the envelope and send it off!

If all goes well, they should get a letter back in a couple of weeks!
(Post cards, pictures, and small surprise packages are fun too!
Aww, the childhood memories :))

Say Cheese

Usually Mom and Dad are the ones behind the camera, but today give the kids a chance to play the photographers and direct you in a real live photo shoot. Gather different colored bed sheets or table cloths to hang as their backgrounds. Allow them to gather props and chairs or stools for you to pose with.

You can even add a fan for the wind-blown hair effect (I've always wanted to do that :))

Allow them to come up with ideas for various poses. (They may need a few suggestions to get their creative juices flowing)

The only rule is: You must follow their directions because they are in charge! :)

Here are some photo ideas if they're drawing a blank:
Action shots :throwing a ball, doing a cartwheel, dancing etc
Dress up shots: dressed up in funny clothes, fancy clothes etc
Stuffed Animal shots:pics of their favorite stuffed animals doing different poses
Family shots
Emotion shots:pics of happy, sad, surprised and grumpy faces
Nature shots: mushrooms, flowers, rocks, etc

When they've finished their photo shoot, transfer the pictures from the digital camera to your computer so they can see the amazing images they captured.

And of course no photo shoot is complete until the photographer takes a few pictures of herself.

Magnetize...

You've gotta love a craft that's simple, fun, and useful. Here's one of our favorite things to make.

Picture Magnets!








Here's what you'll need:
clear glass decoration marbles with the flat bottom,
Mod Podge (or crafters glue),
paintbrush,
scissors,
cut-able magazines
and magnets (I like the kind that come in strips and have the adhesive on the back)


1: Place the glass marble on the picture you've chosen, and cut around it.



2: Using a paintbrush, spread a light layer of mod podge on the flat part of the marble



3: Put the picture (face side)on top of the mod podge, and press until air bubbles have disappeared.



4: Cut magnets to fit on the back of the picture. Peel off adhesive sticker (from magnet) and stick it on.

See? Easy!
Use baby, wedding and family photos to give away as gifts (although I must warn that real photos do smear on occasion.)

Have fun!

The possibilities are endless....

Bubbles are fun, there's no arguing with that, but I say it's time we shake things up a little and bring this favorite past time to a whole new level.

Out with the store-bought, and in with the recyclables.








What other kinds of bubble blowers can your kids find around the house?

Pharmacy fun

We've pretended to be grocery store clerks and postal carriers, bank tellers, day care providers, teachers and librarians, several times, but today we thought of a new pretend profession:
Pharmacists!

We emptied some of our cheap bubble containers and pill boxes, and gathered ointments, creams, lotions, dried beans (for pills) and all other pharmacy-related objects we could find to set up shop.

We also provided a preparation 'room' where they could mix their medicines for their customers (me).






Give them a table top and toy phone and let em go to work!

Father's Day is coming up...

Still thinking about something to give Daddy on Sunday?
How 'bout a little something like this?



(My neighbor Angela introduced this craft to us. Brilliant.)

You can either outline Daddy's foot (or shoe, if you want to be really sneaky) or paint his foot to get his footprint. When he's not looking, paint your child's foot and put his/her footprint on top of Daddy's. Use scrapbook paper for the background, and print out this poem to go next to the footprints. Decorate it how ever you like, and fit it to an 11x13 frame. (I got mine for $5.00 at Walmart, but you can get them for even cheaper)

Can't wait to give it to him!

3 cheers for Oatmeal

Why Oatmeal is the best food on earth:

a: great source of soluble and insoluble fiber which lowers cholesterol, prevents cancer and keeps us regular :).

b: good source of vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium

c: Can be mixed with berries, cinnamon, apples, vanilla, brown sugar, regular sugar, honey, and pretty much anything else.....AND can be added to any dessert.

But let's talk about REALLY great uses for oatmeal...
or at least their containers:






(This 'Risbee,' as my girls call it, beats the pants off of any frisbee you'll find in the store. Try it out!)

Click on the following links to discover more fantastic uses for these versatile containers.

www.education.com

familycrafts.about.com

Let's play!

Any scrapbookers out there?? Betcha didn't realize just how versatile your scrapbook paper could be!

Use some spare 12x12 pages to create a few board games. They don't have to be incredibly imaginative (as you'll see below). All you need is some markers, a single die, a game piece for each player (coins, candies, etc) and your own set of rules.





And the best part: When you're done playing, just toss them in the recycle bin!

Dinner and a show

Ask children if they would like to help plan a big surprise for someone today. Have them choose a person they would like to make a special fancy dinner for.

Sit down with the children and lead them in a brainstorm session on the things needed for this special dinner. Items may include:

Menu
Invitation
Fancy dishes
Decorations
Candles
and Music

Allow children to come up with the entire menu: Main course, Side dish, Drink and Dessert. After the meal has been planned, have them create a fancy looking menu listing each item they will be serving.

If the special guest is not someone living in your home, be sure to create a fancy invitation for them so they know the details of when and where to come and how to dress!

Allow children to play a large part in the meal preparation, and in setting the table. This is a good chance to teach them how to do a proper place setting.

Have children dress in fancy clothes and put on some soothing meal-time music.

When the guest arrives, allow children to be the ones to greet them and show them to their seat. Choose one of the children to be the waiter/waitress and be in charge of writing down orders and delivering the food. Other children may be in charge of entertainment.

While the guest is waiting to be served, fill a few glasses with water (at different levels), and have the children play a song.



Light a candle, turn out the lights and enjoy your meal.

(We did this once with Daddy and another time with a neighbor. The girls loved surprising our dinner guests, and you could tell they felt pretty professional taking orders and entertaining in their fancy outfits. It was a big hit.)

Art Show

Gather pictures and art projects your children have created over the years and set them on display in your home. Have children give a title to each masterpiece.




Invite friends and neighbors to come view the art exhibit. If your child would like to make some money off of their pieces, explain to your invitees that there will be art for sale at the show (we gave each picture a price of 10 cents).








Plan a few art-related games and some simple snacks for your guests. (We played 'closed-eyes pictionary' and '10 questions about the artists')





At the end of the art show, we had a drawing for the grand prize...a framed drawing by one of my young artists.



My girls were so proud of the art they'd created, and of the money they received from selling their masterpieces.



A very fun day. Try it out!